Is nature worth preserving?

We are going through a mass extinction that many biologists say is comparable to that of the dinosaurs. Should we be concerned? Does it matter? Do we need tigers, white sharks, rhinoceroses, komodo dragons, giant pandas or any of the other animals and plants, large and small that are likely to soon disappear? A large part of the problem is loss of natural habitat. Do we need forests and other natural areas or do they just get in the way?

There are those who say that wildlife have rights just as we do. I would not argue that way. I would take a very human centered point of view. The plants and animals that cohabit this planet provide it with a richness that is incomparable to anything made by man. We are replacing beauty by stuff – plastics, electronics, cars, etc. It seems like a losing proposition to me.